Autobiography

In 1977 Terry Fox was a young athletic kinesiology student at

Simon Fraser University.
Finding he had pain in one knee, he was diagnosed as having a
form of bone cancer.
Prior to having his leg amputated above the knee, Terry Fox
read a story of an amputee who ran in the New York Marathon.
At the hospital, he felt sorry for those who had related cancer
problems, especially the children.
He decided he would make a marathon run across Canada to
raise money specifically for cancer research.
With help from the Canadian Cancer Society, Terry Fox began
his "Marathon of Hope" run at St. Johns, Newfoundland on
April 12, 1980.
Covering 26 miles a day, he continued to run with a hopskipping motion across six provinces.
When Fox reached Thunder Bay, Ontario, it was discovered the
cancer had spread to his lungs.
Promising that he would fight his disease, Fox returned to
British Columbia for further rest and treatment.
Canadians responded by pledging to have the run on a yearly
basis and numerous contributions started to come in.
No individual in Canada ever had the impact on the status of
"hero" as this young man.
The Marathon of Hope idea has spread around the world and it
is estimated to have raised over 300 million dollars and still
growing.
Prior to his death, Terry Fox was given many awards and
recognitions including the Lou Marsh award for athletic
accomplishment.